`Witness' With Roots Is Honored

Historic Tree Gets Unique Protection

In the world of historic places, the giant bur oak tree in Jerry and Marilyn Urban's back yard won't be a superstar.

There won't be thousands of tourists or glossy postcards or T-shirts proclaiming, "I saw the bur oak."

But in June, this grand old oak in the rural reaches of southwest McHenry County will be dedicated and protected by law as a historic landmark, an event itself that may be one for the history books.

"It's kind of funny to think that a tree can bring you a little fame," said Jerry Urban, looking up through an umbrella of branches. "We never looked for it."

The bur oak, 10 feet around and about five stories tall, stands in the corner of the Urbans' 1 1/2-acre lot in Coral Township near Marengo. Its far-reaching root system and canopy of branches reach into property owned by four of their neighbors.

In March, the McHenry County Historic Preservation Commission notified 54 area landowners that the tree was no longer just a tree but rather a historic site that the county would protect from developers or anyone else trying to destroy it.

"I think it may be quite unique," said Wayne Temple, director of the Illinois State Archives. "I've never seen anything like this where a tree was given this kind of status."

Nearly 200 years old, the bur oak is one of only a handful of "witness trees" remaining in Illinois, and possibly the only one that has been documented, according to state historians. The tree was one of tens of thousands marked in Illinois in the 19th Century as part of the federal survey of new territory, a meticulous method of parceling the expansive frontier.

Surveyors who mapped McHenry County in 1837 gave the tree its status, meaning it would bear "witness" to property lines for succeeding generations, according to their field notes from Sept. 15, 1837.

The four surveyors carved out a section of bark, inscribed the township and section number in the bald spot and took note of the area.

That was the last history noted of the oak until recently, when it came to the attention of the county Historical Preservation Commission. Carol Lockwood, a Coral Township resident, rediscovered the tree using leads from residents and the surveyors' 1837 field notes.

"This is unusual because we can take that tree and say, `We can protect you because you are a witness to history,' " said Gloria Mack, a commission member.

The commission, pending the approval of the McHenry County Board, intends to designate the tree as a historic landmark with a plaque. But the status will go beyond a ceremonial presentation.

County laws protect landmarks from alteration or demolition. McHenry County principal planner Jim Hogue said they applied almost exclusively to structures.

"I think it's somewhat unclear, but just by designating the tree as a historic landmark, that should provide protection," Hogue said. "It would let people know that this is a really unique historic item that deserves to be recognized."

Preservationists have gone to great lengths to protect trees that they think have historic significance. Maryland officials made the acre of land surrounding the great Wye oak, the largest white oak in the country, a one-tree state park to protect it.

And there are trees still standing that historians have ceremonially recognized because they were there when Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address or were used as markers by Lewis and Clark during their expedition.

But it is notable, federal and state historians say, to designate a tree growing on private property as a historic landmark--and to have the legal backing to protect it.

Members of the county Historic Preservation Commission said the planned June ceremony will include placing a plaque on a rock beside the tree, with an inscription similar to what the original surveyors marked on the bark.

The Urbans, meanwhile, aren't basking in newfound fame but rather in a renewed view of their beloved bur oak. Jerry Urban lost 10 pounds clearing out brush and smaller trees that had surrounded the oak and had competed with it for soil nutrients.

And Marilyn Urban regretfully agreed to say goodbye to six nearby apple trees that were blocking the view of the oak.